For some time I have been increasingly frustrated by my personal computer. It seems to have been working slower and slower for the past few months, and the message 'Not Responding' appears on screen far too frequently. I have done everything that I can do to improve matters ... but the improvements have all been short-lived.
In the end Sue and I agreed that the computer needed to be replaced, and after looking around for the best deal we ordered an Acer XC-703 desktop computer, 18.5" monitor, keyboard, and mouse from Tesco Online. The computer has an Intel Pentium processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive ... all of which much better than my existing computer.
I expect that it is going to take a few days to set the new computer up, to install all the programs that I use, and to transfer the files over. With luck this should all go without a hitch ... but it will be a miracle if it does! (Past experience indicates that some things will go smoothly, but that others will involve the use of some ripe old Anglo-Saxon language and more than a little frustration.) With luck this will be that last blog entry that I write on my old computer ... but only time will tell if it is!
In the end Sue and I agreed that the computer needed to be replaced, and after looking around for the best deal we ordered an Acer XC-703 desktop computer, 18.5" monitor, keyboard, and mouse from Tesco Online. The computer has an Intel Pentium processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive ... all of which much better than my existing computer.
I expect that it is going to take a few days to set the new computer up, to install all the programs that I use, and to transfer the files over. With luck this should all go without a hitch ... but it will be a miracle if it does! (Past experience indicates that some things will go smoothly, but that others will involve the use of some ripe old Anglo-Saxon language and more than a little frustration.) With luck this will be that last blog entry that I write on my old computer ... but only time will tell if it is!
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BOB- Very Good choice for your new computer - I have an ACER and I am certainly pleased with it. I have simular problems not so much the computer - it is the service of the Network on ADSL...on a scale of 1 to 32, my computer Internet Speed is precisely '1'...it tends to come and go- I suppose it depends on how many people are logged into the phone line at any one time...frustrating at times- the slooowwness....I keep Soldiering on! All the best with Your new instillation. Regards. KEV.
ReplyDeleteOne day you may buy an Apple and wish you had done it years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe two years I had MicroSoft PC's after Commodore Amiga's is still a bitter memory after 15 years.
Kev,
ReplyDeleteI have had Acer products before, and they have all provided excellent service.
The problem with my old PC is its lack of processing power and cache memory. It just isn't good enough to cope with the current computer programs that I am using. Internet speed is not an problem in our area, as we have a fibre optic network supplying our home. It is not as fast as it is advertised to be (nothing new there!) but it usually works without too many problems.
All the best,
Bob
Nobby,
ReplyDeleteI gave serious consideration to buying an Apple computer, but in the end the cost of doing so was just too high. My Acer cost me (after discounts and using Tesco Boost vouchers) £149.00. Even the cheapest Apple I could have afforded was a lot more than that ... and now that I am retired and living on a pension, cost is an important consideration.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI recently bought a new PC and the set up process was remarkably quick, easy and hassle free - no hitches at all - so maybe you won't have any problems. The only part that took much time was running Windows update as this was a Windows 7 PC - I chose this instead of 8 - and several years worth of updates needed to be applied. If yours came with Windows 10 you won't have this problem.
What really helped was that I am using Google Drive to back up everything to the cloud so as soon as I'd logged into my Google account and downloaded the drive application all my data - save emails - had migrated. Mind you, as your old PC is still working you can just send all the data across the local network with not much more effort.
Incidentally, we too have fibre optic broadband and I recently ran a speed test and found that I was getting the advertised speed! You could have knocked me down with a feather.
Mike Hall,
ReplyDeleteThe new PC came with Windows 8.1 installed, and I was advised to upgrade to Windows 10 before trying to do anything else. I started this process last night ... and thanks to a problem with the download I was not able to complete this task until midday today.
I am in the process of slowly migrating files etc. from my old PC to my new one. I am not rushing the task so as to avoid making mistakes. Slow but sure is always my motto in these circumstances.
I must admit that I have not checked the current speed of our broadband Internet connection ... but I will once my new PC is set up.
All the best,
Bob
1 Terrabyte? At the risk of displaying Old Fogeyism, I remember in '84 getting a 2nd PC for our Information Center. It came with a 20MB hard drive, twice the capacity of our old machine and we couldn't imagine why one would need so much.
ReplyDeleteHope all goes smoothly.
Ross Mac,
ReplyDeleteMy first ever computer was a Sinclair Spectrum ... with a 48Kb memory! I bought it back in the early 1980s, and still own it. (I regard it as a modern antique.)
Computer processing power (and memory) seem to grow exponentially ... and I suspect that in five years time my 'new' computer will seem very, very slow with a tiny memory.
I am not rushing the change over, especially as the new Windows email doesn't want to accept my most used email address. Once that is sorted out I will begin installing the programs I use most frequently, then I will transfer over my email contacts and favourite websites, and finish with transferring over my files. If this takes a week, then so be it.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeletePardon my ignorance but what is this "new Windows email"? I've been using Windows Live Mail for years and nothing changed when I upgraded our PCs to Windows 10. Is there a new mail program floating around that I've missed?
Mike
Mike Hall,
ReplyDeleteI also used Windows Live Mail until I got the new computer, but the email program that comes with Windows 10 doesn't allow me to set up all my existing email accounts. I have made several attempts to do so, but I cannot find a manual way to enter the correct settings.
I am currently taking a break from trying ... mainly because the computer has decided to do some further updates. Perhaps when it has, the problem will be solvable.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteStrange things these computers: my upgrades to Windows 10 (admittedly from 7 not 8.1) left Live Mail intact. I do now vaguely recall some kind of mail tile on the new start menu but I just deleted it. I suppose that your new PC didn't have Live Mail installed before the upgrade so there was nothing there to be carried forward?
I have actually just Googled "Windows 10 Mail" and some of the comments on the apps limitations were pretty scathing. Maybe your best bet is to forget the new email program, install Live Mail and duplicate the settings from your old PC?
Mike
Mike Hall,
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough the upgrade seems to have cured the problem. It would appear that Windows 10 had not been fully installed, and I had ended up with some sort of hybrid of Windows 8 and 10. The upgrade seems to have properly installed Windows 10 and I have now added the 'missing' email account.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that it all works now,
Best Wishes,
Mike
Mike Hall,
ReplyDeleteI have not yet got everything the way I want it to be ... but it is almost there!
The fact that I didn't rush the changeover has helped. Instead of getting annoyed, I just walked away for a bit, and left things as there were. Usually this was enough for me to be able to think of ways to do what I wanted to do without becoming stressed.
All I have to do now is to transfer all the files (i.e. documents, videos, images) over from one computer to the next ... but s they are already on a 1TB portable hard drive that should be quite simple.
All the best,
Bob